Hello to you, my friends, fans, fellow readers, and authors! We have a very special guest here at the ol' blog today. She's my pal, Karen Stivali! Let me tell you something about Karen: she's an incredible writer! Trust me, I know. I've totally read her stuff and my face looked like this after: :D So please join me in offering her a warm welcome! And make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win an e-copy of one of her books! Details at the end of this post!
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| This is Karen! |
Friends to lovers. It’s not only one of my
favorite writing tropes, it’s how I’ve started relationships with almost
everyone I ever dated. It wasn’t intentional. Sometimes it actually came as
quite a shock. But there’s no denying that friends can sometimes turn into much
more. That’s a common theme in my novels, and Meant To Be, my latest release is
most definitely a friends to lovers story, with an unconventional twist. Daniel
and Marienne start off as neighbors, become the best of friends and then…well, I’ll
let you read the blurb and excerpt for a peek at what happens.
Here's the blurb!
Sometimes you’re already committed to the wrong
person when fate finally brings you the right one.
When NYU professor Daniel Gardner’s
career-obsessed wife convinces him to move to the suburbs, he hopes it’s a
first step toward starting the family he longs to have. Instead of domestic
bliss he finds his neighbor, Marienne Valeti. She loves her freelance design
job, but must contend with a growing sense of isolation created by her husband’s
indifference. A penchant for good books, bad movies, and Marienne’s to-die-for
brownies sparks a powerful bond between them. Passion simmers, but they resist
its lure, surrendering only in the seclusion of their minds. Their friendship
helps them weather every hardship, from divorce to widowhood, leaving them both
secretly wondering if it can survive a first kiss.
How awesome does this book sound? And because Karen is such a tease, she's giving us a teaser too! :D
Marienne
watched as Daniel grabbed a bottle of Coke out of her fridge.
He
unscrewed the cap and took a drink. “It’s quite difficult to understand
American slang when English isn’t your native tongue.”
He
continued speaking but Marienne’s mind was caught on the words native tongue. Or, more specifically, tongue. More precisely still, Daniel’s
tongue. She’d always loved the sound of his voice, the expressiveness of his
choice of words, but sometimes she just enjoyed watching his mouth. This was
one of those times. She studied his tongue as it moved to form his words, as it
licked his lips when he paused to think, as it pressed against the Coke bottle
when he drank. Heat prickled through her.
Is it hot in here or is it him? She
was unable to focus on the thought as once again she was mesmerized. Now it was
curved upward, pressing against the back of his top teeth as he looked at her,
eyes narrowed
“Are
you all right?” he asked. The concern in his voice caught her attention as did
the puzzled look on his face.
“What?”
She no longer remembered what they’d been discussing.
“You’re
not listening to a word I say, and that’s not like you. I’ve been speaking
total gibberish and you didn’t even react. Are you okay? You’re all flushed.”
She
tried to think of a way to explain to her best friend that she’d been too busy
obsessing to concentrate. He’s divorced.
Frank’s gone. Maybe I should. Her heart galloped.
He
leaned over and felt her forehead. She held her breath, dizzy from his touch.
She wanted to scoot forward and kiss him, hard, on the lips, but didn’t dare to
move. Thoughts of the kiss, and his tongue, flashed through her mind.
“You’re
really warm.” His hand trailed to her cheek, flipping over so he could assess
her with the back of his fingers. They felt cool and silky along the contours
of her face and she pressed against them.
His
brow furrowed. “You’ve got a fever.”
What? Her hand flew to her forehead.
“Shit,” she said, as even she could feel the burning warmth.
He
grabbed a glass from her cupboard and held it beneath the ice dispenser. The
crystal chunks tumbled into it. “You must have finally caught whatever Ella had
last weekend.” He filled it with water and handed it to her.
“Oh,
God. You’re right.” Ella had come home sick from preschool three days ago and
that was the standard grace period Marienne usually got before catching things
from her daughter. She rested her head on the kitchen table.
****
Daniel
smiled at Marienne’s whining; she was acting like Ella.
“Drink
your water.” He opened another cabinet and reached for the Tylenol. He shook
out two and returned the bottle to the top shelf.
“Here.”
He rubbed his knuckles against the top of her hand. “Take these.”
She
groaned.
“Take
them.” He nudged a second time. Heat radiated from her skin. Enticing.
Alluring. He shuddered, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind. “Come on
now, be a good girl.”
She sat
up and scowled. He smiled and dropped the tablets into her upturned hand. The
backs of his fingers grazed her palm and a tingling flush rippled through him.
She
stared at him, eyes defiant, then popped the pills into her mouth and took a
sip of water. She flipped her head back and swallowed hard, an action that
caused Daniel to gulp as well. He wanted nothing more than to swoop down and
kiss her with total abandon, to feel her overheated body, to be immersed inside
her.
He said the only words he could think: “Let’s get you up to bed.”
For more information on this book and my
other novels, please visit my website: http://karenstivali.com
(You’ll also find some yummy recipes there for foods that are mentioned in the
book!)
I can also be found at the following
places:
Author Bio:
Karen
Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant
for books, movies and fictional British men. When she’s not writing, she can be
found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends. Prior
to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical
therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to
specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up
what’s left of her time and sanity.
Karen
has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she
favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their
relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between
characters and has a tendency to craft romantic love stories filled with sarcasm
and sexy details.
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| This is Karen's book! |
Buy links for Meant To Be:
Are you a fan of friends to lovers stories? Did a special friend in your life suddenly become much more? Leave a comment and tell me! One lucky commenter will win his/her choice of either a free e-copy of my first friends to lovers story, Always You, or an e-copy of Foreign Affairs (a romance anthology that features my short story All I Need, a prequel to Meant To Be) . Tell me your story!
